


Practice

by Anonymous



Category: The Mistmantle Chronicles - M. I. McAllister
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Missing Scene, Urchin of the Riding Stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 11:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20406658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Urchin has a fencing lesson with Padra, and worries too much about the importance of being good at it.





	Practice

"Relax, Urchin, it's only practice."

Urchin looked, very slowly, up from Captain Padra's feet to his grinning face. He then looked down at his own fencing foil. It felt like he was holding it wrong. His paws were sweaty. The foil felt awkward and fragile. He'd had fun with the sword practice when it was just him and the hedgehog in charge of training him, Holly, who was a remarkably sharp-eyed and quick-footed animal for a hedgehog. She liked to joke that she was good at sharp things because she was made of sharp things, and remarked that with a name like Urchin, the young page would probably have a real knack for it too.

Padra could be just as jovial, and probably more forgiving, than his trainer, but Urchin's anxiety came from a need to _impress_. And it wasn't just Padra, he'd seen Crispin take up his fair share of sparring at festivals and tower celebrations. The former squirrel captain was as smooth and energetic as the wind when it came to swordsmanship, and Urchin knew his comparative awkwardness would be obvious to Crispin's old friend.

Besides, if it came right down to it, he wanted to show that he would be ready, when the time came to expose Captain Husk for his treachery. Fir and Padra had sometimes discussed how likely it would be that Husk would go quietly, and came to the reluctant conclusion that it was not very likely at all. Urchin didn't want his new captain to worry about him too much.

Padra stretched and rolled his shoulders, watching Urchin with his head to one side. "Come on Urchin, it's alright, you won't hurt me." He tapped his foil across his chest, still smiling warmly, as if to demonstrate the fact that he was made of tougher stuff than Urchin might be imagining.

"No sir! I won't sir," said Urchin, and shuffled on his hind claws. He wondered if there was some kind of starting signal that Captain Padra was waiting for. He was just-... _standing_ there, so casually, it was hard to make the first move against him. But, red-tipped tail twirling, he managed to race forwards anyway.

Padra sidestepped the young page, quickly bringing up his foil to deflect Urchin's strike. Once he was in the fight, practice and muscle memory finally began to kick in for Urchin. Movements, defenses, openings, everything fitted into place in his mind. He felt that he was doing pretty good, until Padra gently tapped him between the ears with his sword.

Urchin's ears pinned down to the sides, and his heart sank. Had Padra really beaten him so quickly?

"Not bad, Urchin!" Said Padra, crouching down a little to the squirrel's height, "for the first time. You've been training with Holly?"

Urchin nodded, still looking crestfallen, but maybe a little less so after the captain's praise.

Padra nodded too. "A skilled swordsbeast, one of the best on our island, but she is still a hedgehog."

Urchin tipped his head, confused at what Padra meant.

"You've seen me and Crispin fight, haven't you?"

"Yes, sir! At the Spring Festival."

"Good lad. Now, have you ever noticed whether I fight differently than Crispin? Don't worry, it's not about who's better or who's your favorite, just the differences you've noticed."

Urchin thought about this for a minute. "Crispin is faster," he said, "but you keep your ground."

"That's right. Squirrels and otters fight differently, we're built differently. I'm heavier than Crispin, stronger, but less agile. It's the same with hedgehogs, they're slower, but harder to hit without getting spiked. Now, try again."

Again, Urchin went after Padra, this time with even more fervor. He tried connecting to his squirrelish instincts, leaping and dodging and chasing circles around Padra to try and catch him in a moment off guard, plus trying to anticipate how an otter might move. It was a lot to think about all at once.

Urchin's foil clattered to the floor, as Padra disarmed him, and his little bit of regained pride fell in much the same way. He tried not to show it so much this time.

"You did better!" Encouraged Padra, "but there's something else you ought to know about squirrels. Can you guess what it is?"

Urchin wasn't winded from the fight, he was a young rodent with an awful lot of energy. But it _was_ hard to think right now, the fighting had made his mind focus in a different way, and riddles weren't included with that package. He tried to think about it anyway. "We can climb? But I've never seen that in a duel." He considered for a moment that that would actually be a real sight to see, a sort of staged swashbuckling. Maybe someday he could bring it up...

"No, but you are on the right track. What's important to climbing?"

Claws. Leg structure. Balance. Tail. As Urchin considered the options, Padra started the next round on his own by lunging towards Urchin with the foil. Urchin kept thinking as he tried to defend. Claws. Legs. Tail. He was more aware of himself as he fought, paws on the hilt, paws on the stone floor, his tail twitching as he moved and darted.

_Before_ he moved and darted...

Experimentally he twitched his tail as if to move to the right, and watched Padra's eyes. _They were tracking his tail-tip_. He threw himself to the left, and struck against Padra. Steel met steel, but the otter didn't look-... centered. He threw feinting in with the ducking and darting, and the fight went nearly twice as long as the previous two times. He had it! He was doing it! A tiny portion of his brain wondered if Padra would be embarrassed if he beat him. Would that be wrong? For a page to best his captain?

His foil tip managed to catch on Padra's cloak, and his expression turned to surprise. The captain stopped, and dropped his foil to end the match.

"I see you figured it out," said Padra, grinning at him before assessing the damage to his cloak. There was, definitely, a bit of a tear there.

"Sorry sir," said Urchin.

"Sorry? Whatever for? I'll daresay I'll have Thripple take a look at the cloak, but you did well. Most don't go for the fabric in duels, and you've reminded me to keep an eye on that. It can be pretty bad if it catches. _And_ you realized how I was able to predict you."

"My tail moves before I do, sir," said Urchin, eagerly.

"Exactly," Said Padra, "I'll tell Holly she's done well with you. But right now, I think we could use a swim after all that, eh?"

Usually squirrels weren't the type for swimming, but sometimes, on hot days like this, in the dying throes of summer, it felt nice to have the seawater riffle through your fur. Plus you probably couldn't have a name like 'Urchin' without having some affection for the shoreline. "Yes sir," agreed Urchin.

The respite was enjoyable, and all the more so because part of him felt like it had been stolen. Padra had found a little cove out of view from the tower, presumably one he'd known about and been to plenty of times before, and Urchin had busied himself jumping off of the rocks into the water. If any animal had seen them, they would be back to being run ragged by Husk's dominating plans and the need to stop them, but for now, for this late morning, there wasn't anything they had to do. It was like being in Brother Fir's turret, but with less feeling cooped up.

Padra was simply floating out on the nudging waves, and Urchin had shaken himself off to dry. His fur still had sand in it, but his ears had fluffed up enough by now that the rough little grains had started to fall out when he brushed them

Urchin hesitated a long time, and then asked "Sir, do you think we'll be ready? When we have to be?" _Will I be ready when I have to be?_

"I daresay we will, Urchin. I don't like it, none of us do, but the animals of this island are made of infinitely stronger stuff than Husk's diamonds. It won't be easy, but it isn't going to happen right now. We'll be ready."

Urchin hesitated again. "How-... what do you think it will be like?" He asked.

"I'm not sure," admitted Padra, "but it probably wouldn't do to talk about it here." He paddled up to shore, shook himself dry, and then sat next to Urchin. "I don't know..." he repeated. "There's never been a precedent for it in my lifetime. This is all very new. This island should be peaceful, not one where innocent animals are exiled and young animals are killed. All we have to go on are old threadings, and history, so old that none of us can remember. So... I suppose it will be like history. Heart protect us from living in any more history, even if someday it will make a gripping story."

Padra looked tired. It was rare he let his guard down where anyone but Brother Fir could see. Urchin could tell his captain was troubled. "I'll fight for Mistmantle with you and all the rest, sir," he volunteered. _For Mistmantle. For Tumble. For Crispin. _

Padra's eyes opened wide, and he turned to blink at Urchin. He gave a sad, warm smile. "Heart bless you, Urchin," he said, "you shouldn't have to carry this, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about me sir, I can, I won't let any of you down."

"Oh, I believe it," said Padra, "creatures like you give me hope for this island. But you shouldn't have to carry the weight of all of this. You're on your way with the sword, but I'd hope that you'd never have to use it beyond festivals and tournaments." He smiled. "For now, the only captain you're going to have to fight is me! Next month, I think, unless you want the extra practice. I might have to talk to Holly to brush up, myself... From what I can tell today, I need it."

"But, if I _have_ to..."

"If you have to." Padra's face turned serious. He looked straight at Urchin. "If you _have_ to, then you must first try to _run_, do you understand? Not because you're not good enough, I know you can hold your own if you were put to it, but because that is not your place. You're not responsible for any of this, you shouldn't have to risk your life for it. You're young, and Fir and I believe that there is more to your story than has yet been told. You've done more than you know by assisting me and the other animals, and the island needs you to keep doing it. Quietly. Out of sight from Husk and his cronies. Do you understand me, Urchin?"

The pale squirrel had stopped being able to meet Padra's gaze for a while now. He wanted to argue, he didn't _feel_ like he was doing all that much. Just-... being Padra's page, helping keep the tower running backstage, running errands, talking to Needle, being fussed over by Apple whenever she came by.

"What we need is _good_, strong animals who understand what's happening," continued Padra, "who care for and understand the creatures in the wood, too. You're very important, Urchin, and that's why you must stay safe if you can. If Crispin were here, I know he would have agreed with me."

If Crispin were here. Urchin felt like so much would be less _wrong_ if Crispin were still here, not adrift from the island forever, impossible to know where he was and if he was even still living. But the unfortunate squirrel had been in Husk's way, had been the senior captain and thereby in line for the throne. So he'd had to go. The idea of Urchin not giving his all felt-... Disrespectful, somehow. Crispin hadn't sacrificed himself in any way, but he had made Urchin stay behind. He felt like he _owed_ him. What was worse, the idea not not having to fight Husk, was-... Well, it was _relieving_. He wanted things to happen gently, without struggle, to trust that Padra and Lugg and the others could handle it. If he met Husk in battle, he knew he'd die. He felt guilty to fear it.

"Do you promise me, Urchin?"

Slowly as the tide, Urchin's gaze traveled back up to Padra's dark, worried eyes. Was it so bad if even Padra wanted him out of it? If it wasn't a matter of skill or bravery? "Yes sir," said Urchin. "And I'll try to get others out too. Needle, everyone in the Old Palace, I'll get them somewhere safe."

Padra's expression warmed to a proud smile. "Good. Now, I think we ought to get back. Make sure the tower keeps going, I'm sure I'll have a hundred things people need me to do, and you a hundred for every one of mine. But I think the water has cleared my head. Are _you_ ready?" He stood to his paws and stretched. It was a large, rolling stretch, as otters had quite a lot of spine.

Urchin sprang to his own paws, ready-wound to get going. "Yes sir," he said, as he picked up the captain's cloak from the safety of a nearby rock, and stood on tipclaws to help him shrug it over his shoulders. "You know, I don't think things would be this bad if everyone in the wood wasn't stuck doing working parties. They don't get the time to just do nothing and think, like now."

"I think you may be right," said Padra, giving the sides of the garment one last tug into place. He propped one paw over his eyes to squint out to the misty horizon. "Speaking of which... I think there's a ship coming in that will need the welcoming committee. Let's go help organize the trading process, shall we?"

Unloading ships, reloading ships. It could be done with reasonable time and energy if you had a well-coordinated group of animals, no need for anyone to be overworked or overwhelmed. It'd been done that way for years, before Urchin's time. It was then that Urchin realized that the seemingly little things, like protecting his friends from Anemone Wood from an excess of labor, did matter an awful lot. What would matter wasn't the eventual fight, but the long-running frustration of Husk's takeover efforts. _That_ would be what turned the tide.

Still, he looked forward to doing a bit more practice before the next time Padra decided to test him. Maybe even next time he might be able to get the better of him.


End file.
